1. Technical Field
This invention relates to vehicle-mounted crane and hoist systems for loading and unloading objects from the vehicle and for moving objects. This invention also relates to vehicle-mounted container dump systems for tipping and emptying a container.
2. Background Art
Cranes, hoists, and other mechanical arms have been mounted on vehicles, such as masonry trucks and railroad cars, for lifting material onto and off of the vehicle platforms. Hydraulic pressure cylinders, or cable and pulley systems that extend along the length of the mechanical arms, are often used to change the direction of the arms and the angle of joints between sections of articulated arms.
Truck-mounted container dump systems have been designed with containers that can be tipped to dump material out the back of the container, usually through a hinged door. A typical example is the common dump truck, in which the truck bed acts as the container and hydraulics are typically used to raise and lower the truck bed. Dump containers that are separate from the truck bed have also been designed, especially for use in pickup truck beds. Duncan, Sr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,851) discloses a cargo bin that is tipped back and halfway out of a pickup bed, guided by rollers moving through guideways, by a sudden forward movement of the truck. The contents of the bin are discharged as springs pull the bin back into the pickup bed. King (U.S. Pat. No. 3,446,534) discloses a load bed that rolls down an inclined guideway when the pickup tailgate is opened, catches on hooked portions of the guideway, and then tips down until the back end of the load bed touches the ground. Mabry, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,915,496) discloses a dumping box that rolls out of the pickup on a support frame, which can be inclined by a jack, and then tips to touch the ground. Ruff (U.S. Pat. No. 3,826,534) discloses a dump body which is tipped by a cable that passes back and forth between stationary front and rear posts that extend up from the pickup bed.
What is still needed is a simple, controllable and easily operated system for both loading, unloading, and dumping a container or other objects from a vehicle.